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5. Describe what happens when Caesar is offered the crown, according to Casca?

6. Caesar stands astride the world as a powerful ruler, yet he suffers many personal weaknesses. Various characters will us what these are, and they say that a man who is as human as anyone else would not act life a god and rule the world. What exactly are Caesar’s infirmities and weaknesses?

7. At the end of Scene 2, how does Cassius say he will pursue his plan to involve Brutus in the conspiracy against Caesar?

8. Believing that nature mirrors the disorders in human lives, Shakespeare heightens the atmosphere of terror as the conspirators gather to discuss their plans. What details in Scene 3 do you think evoke this sense of danger and terror?

9. Who is the moving force, the protagonist, who drives the action, in Act I? By the act’s end, what steps has he taken to achieve his goal?

10. How would you describe the play’s conflict as it is established in Act I?

11. Shakespeare uses even minor conflicts and events to set up the basic situation of the play and to foreshadow future conflicts and events. Explain what you learn from this act about the moods and loyalties for the Roman mob.

12. A healthy republic requires a reasonably intelligent and responsive citizenry. Throughout this play people of Rome are described as “trash” or worse. Point out passages in Act I where various nobles express their contempt for the common people. How does this make you feel about these characters? Do the people seem to deserve a republic?

13. Cassius tell Brutus several anecdotes about Caesar in Scene 2. What is Cassius implying through these stories?

14. Do you have any conflicting feeling about Caesar during this act? Describe your impressions of his character, based on what you observe of his speeches and actins and on what other characters say about him.

Vocabulary: Write down the definition for each of the
following vocab words from Act I.

1. barren (adj) unable to have children

2. blunt (adj) direct,
to the point (to the point of rudeness)

3. conspirator (n) one who is involved in a secret plan

4. countenance (n) face

5. encompass (v) to surround or include

6. infirmity (n) illness

7. portentous (adj) arrogant, pompous

8. servile (adj) like a servant, obendient

9. soothsayer (n) a
fortuneteller

10. torrent (n) a flood

Directions: Answer each of the following questions based on
your reading of Act I.

1. Explain why the working men are celebrating in the first
scene. Why does Marullus reproach them?

They are celebrating
Caesar’s recent victory over Pompey, the previous ruler of Rome. Marullus is angry because the people used to support Pompey, but now
they have changed their minds. They are “fair-weather
fans”

2. What is the setting of Scene 2? What warning does the soothsayer give Caesar,
and what is Caesar’s response?

Scene 2 takes place in
a public place in Rome
during the festival of Lupercal. Soothsayer tells Caesar to beware the ides of March. Caesar ignores the warning.

3. Explain what Cassius want to convince Brutus of in Scene
2?

Cassius wants to
convince Brutus that he would be a better leader than Caesar. He also wants to show Brutus that Caesar is a
bad leader, that he’s power-hungry.

Caesar worries because
Cassius thinks too much, he watches people, he does not like fun and games, he
reads a lot, etc. He says that people
like Cassius are never happy if they see someone better off than themselves.

5. Describe what happens when Caesar is offered the crown,
according to Casca?

After Caesar is
offered the crown, he refuses it, but looks like he wants it. After the 3rd time, Caesar has a
seizure during which he says something about how someone should kill him. Then the common women fawned over him.

6. Caesar stands astride the world as a powerful ruler, yet
he suffers many personal weaknesses. Various characters will us what these are, and they say that a man who
is as human as anyone else would not act life a god and rule the world. What exactly are Caesar’s infirmities and
weaknesses?

Caesar is deaf in one
ear, he’s epileptic, he can’t swim, and he cries when he has a fever

7. At the end of Scene 2, how does Cassius say he will
pursue his plan to involve Brutus in the conspiracy against Caesar?

Cassius will leave
letters on Brutus’ property that seem to be from different commoners. The letters will tell Brutus that people
dislike Caesar and that they wish Brutus was the leader.

8. Believing that nature mirrors the disorders in human
lives, Shakespeare heightens the atmosphere of terror as the conspirators
gather to discuss their plans. What
details in Scene 3 do you think evoke this sense of danger and terror?

The storm, the lion at
the capitol, the people made of flames, the owl at daytime, the fire falling
from the sky, etc.

9. Who is the moving force, the protagonist, who drives the
action, in Act I? By the act’s end, what
steps has he taken to achieve his goal?

Cassius is the
protagonist so far—his goal is to get rid of Caesar. So far he has assembled a group of
conspirators and worked toward convincing Brutus

10. How would you describe the play’s conflict as it is
established in Act I?

The conflict seems to
be between people who love Caesar (commoners, Antony), and people who want to get rid of
him (Cassius, conspirators). Brutus is
somewhere in the middle.

11. Shakespeare uses even minor conflicts and events to set
up the basic situation of the play and to foreshadow future conflicts and
events. Explain what you learn from this
act about the moods and loyalties for the Roman mob.

The Roman mob seems
easily swayed by anyone who appeals to their emotions. They loved Pompey, but now that Caesar is
victorious, they love him.

12. A healthy republic requires a reasonably intelligent and
responsive citizenry. Throughout this
play people of Rome
are described as “trash” or worse. Point
out passages in Act I where various nobles express their contempt for the common
people. How does this make you feel
about these characters? Do the people seem to deserve a republic?

Marullus: You blocks,
you stones… Casca’s description of the
attempted coronation

Student responses will
vary.

13. Cassius tell Brutus several anecdotes about Caesar in
Scene 2. What is Cassius implying
through these stories?

Cassius implies that
Caesar is no better than any of them, but he has been given all this power as
if he were a god. In fact, perhaps
Brutus or Cassius would be a better leader.

14. Do
you have any conflicting feeling about Caesar during this act? Describe your impressions of his character,
based on what you observe of his speeches and actins and on what other
characters say about him.

1. In scene 1, there
is still a chance that the conspiracy might be foiled. Explain why Artemidorus fails to get Caesar
to read his warning.

2. What petition
serves as an excuse for the conspirators to gather around Caesar immediately
before the assassination?

3. In scene 1, why
does Cassius argue against allowing Antony
to speak at Caesar’s funeral?

4. In order to make a
compromise, what rules does Brutus give Antony
about what he can and cannot do in his speech at Caesar’s funeral?

5. How does Antony’s speech at the end
of scene 1 (lines 254-275) reveal his true feelings about the assassins?

6. For a moment after
the assassination, the action seeps to stop since the protagonists (the
conspirators) have achieved their goal. However, a new protagonist appears who will drive the action for the
rest of the play. Who is he, and what is
his goal?

7. In scene 2, how
does the crowd react to Brutus’ speech at the funeral?

8. Antony’s funeral oration in Scene 2 is one of
the most famous pieces of rhetoric in literature. How is Antony
able to follow the rules that Brutus gave him while still ruining the
conspirators’ reputations?

9. What are four
rhetorical devices that Antony
repeatedly uses in his speech?

10. What does Antony disclose to the
crowd concerning Caesar’s will? How does
the crowd react?

11. How has the
crowd’s attitude changed from the beginning of scene 2 to the end?

12. How were the
mob’s madness and the murder of Cinna foreshadowed earlier in the play?

13. How do you feel
about Brutus in this act? Is he still an
admirable character or not? Is he a
victim or a villain? Explain.

How do you feel about Antony
in this act? Has he surprised you in any
way? Be specific.

Deciding whom they
should kill (suspected conspirators and enemies of the state)

3. How will Antony make sure that he
will not take the blame for unpopular decisions?

He will blame Lepidus
because he thinks that Lepidus is not good for much else

4. Why is Cassius
upset with Brutus in Scene 3?

Brutus has punished
one of Cassius’ soldiers for taking bribes after Cassius stuck up for his
soldier

5. What does Brutus
accuse Cassius of doing in Scene 3?

Accepting bribes
himself

6. How does Portia
die? How does Brutus respond to her
death?

She swallows a hot
coal

Brutus does not react
strongly. He says that he does not have
time to mourn

7. Why does Cassius
suggest that their army stay where they are?

He thinks that Antony and Octavius’
armies will wear themselves hunting for Brutus and Cassius. Meanwhile, their armies will remain strong
and will be able to overpower Antony
and Octavius when they do attack

8. Why does Antony suggest that the army go to Greece and fight Antony there?

He says that they are
currently at their full force and will not become any stronger. Antony
and Octavius will only gain more soldiers. Brutus and Cassius should attack when they are at their peak.

9. Who wins the
disagreement? Brutus

10. What does the
ghost say to Brutus?

I will see you at
Philippi

11. Why do you think
Shakespeare had the ghost appear in this scene?

Foreshadowing, and to
add a dark, ominous mood

12. Think back to the
first three acts. How has your opinion
of different characters changed in Act IV?